Hello all! A lot has happened since the last time I posted. First and foremost, I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving spent at home with your families and friends...and not out shopping on the actual day (wink wink).
Initially, we did not make plans to travel over the holiday weekend, since we didn't know how I would feel physically. Luckily, last week was a turning point in my recovery. The week began with an expansion by Dr. Noel. To my surprise, Jayne and I met in the waiting room and had no idea that our appointments were so close in time. I was excited for she and Cooper to finally meet! We were having so much fun, that it was a bummer when were separated in different rooms. We joked with the staff that they should have just kept us together and we could get expanded at the same time :)
During my appointment, Dr. Noel expanded me with 50 cc's of saline, increasing my total to 300 cc's in each breast. I find it interesting that a specific amount of cc's looks different on different patients. If I recall correctly, my tissue expander is a size 500, and can be inflated to 800, whereas Jayne's tissue expander is a 350. Dr. Noel informed me that the tissue expander is not selected by the size of your previous breast size, but based on your body frame. Therefore, even though Jayne and I had the same amount of saline in our breasts, mine appears relatively smaller than her's, because my tissue expander is larger. Please correct me if I am wrong in my theory doc :) I also received great news during the appointment. Dr. Noel told me that I could begin driving short distances, continue "walking the wall," and begin doing more things with my arms. He also checked my upper body range of motion and said everything looked good. When I left the office that day, I felt just as excited as the day I passed my driving test! Freedom baby!!!.
As the day went on, I realized that I felt up to traveling. Since my brother-in-law was visiting from Mendocino, CA for only a week, we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Danville with Cooper's family. Cooper's parents were overjoyed, and so was Cooper.
By Wednesday, I started feeling a little more comfortable with feeling around on my new "foobs." During my self breast exam, I felt a small lump under my right breast, about where the under wire of a bra would be. I had Cooper take a look, and he predicted that it was the tissue expander unfolding. Since it didn't feel the same on the left side, I decided to give Dr. Noel a call. He assured me that everything was probably ok, but invited me to come by the office for him to check it out if I wanted. Of course I took him up on the offer. As it turns out, Cooper was right, and everything was ok.
Spending Thanksgiving with Cooper's family was great. At first, it was a little overwhelming being away from home for the first time and being around so many people. I am definitely a person that likes to host and entertain. Taking a break and laying down is the last thing I want to do during a celebration. By the end of the day I was exhausted and my chest felt tight from my last expansion. It was a reminder that I need to take breaks and my body is still in the healing phase.
Saturday was spent with family in Louisville. It was wonderful! I even enjoyed a Blue Moon...or two :) Sunday my parents and sisters came to visit. We went for a late lunch at Mussels and Burger Bar. It was fabulous! I highly recommend trying it. We returned home and my talented, hard working, and creative second mother, Michelle, decorated our door for Christmas. It is absolutely beautiful! My family also stocked the freezer with meals, brought my favorite dessert (strawberry pretzel salad), helped get our tree up, and delivered a sweet note from my brother, Adam. The night ended with ice cream from the Pie Kitchen and watching the mid season finale of the Walking Dead. I hate the Govenor! RIP Hershel!
Today, I saw Dr. Noel for my third expansion, post op. I am now at 350 cc's in each breast. I feel like I am making great progress. Dr. Noel told me that my incisions were healing nicely. My lifting restrictions were increased to a max of 10 lbs and I was given the "ok" to vacuum and do more with my arms. I left feeling very pleased with my progress so far.
Since the last post, I read the book, "Pretty Is What Changes, " by Jessica Queller. It is a story about a young woman diagnosed with the BRCA 1 mutation and the choices she made to define her destiny. It is a beautiful story and would be beneficial to all of those considering surgery, or for those who have had a prophylactic mastectomy. I would like to share one of my favorite lines from the book...
"We are living in an age in which scientific advances give us new opportunities to live. Seize them."
I am so thankful that I made the decision to have my surgery. There is a huge burden that has been lifted from my soul. I feel stronger and more beautiful than I did before, because I decided to take control of my destiny. Here are two more quotes for you that I found on Thanksgiving, that are so empowering to me...
"I love the person I've become, because I fought to become her."
-Kaci Diane
"Because, it's not always about the fight to become better/healthier, it's about the fight that changes who you are on the inside. It's about the journey that allows you to blossom into a person that you never knew you were strong enough to be."
-Written by another fellow previvor, Katie
Cheers everyone!
Initially, we did not make plans to travel over the holiday weekend, since we didn't know how I would feel physically. Luckily, last week was a turning point in my recovery. The week began with an expansion by Dr. Noel. To my surprise, Jayne and I met in the waiting room and had no idea that our appointments were so close in time. I was excited for she and Cooper to finally meet! We were having so much fun, that it was a bummer when were separated in different rooms. We joked with the staff that they should have just kept us together and we could get expanded at the same time :)
During my appointment, Dr. Noel expanded me with 50 cc's of saline, increasing my total to 300 cc's in each breast. I find it interesting that a specific amount of cc's looks different on different patients. If I recall correctly, my tissue expander is a size 500, and can be inflated to 800, whereas Jayne's tissue expander is a 350. Dr. Noel informed me that the tissue expander is not selected by the size of your previous breast size, but based on your body frame. Therefore, even though Jayne and I had the same amount of saline in our breasts, mine appears relatively smaller than her's, because my tissue expander is larger. Please correct me if I am wrong in my theory doc :) I also received great news during the appointment. Dr. Noel told me that I could begin driving short distances, continue "walking the wall," and begin doing more things with my arms. He also checked my upper body range of motion and said everything looked good. When I left the office that day, I felt just as excited as the day I passed my driving test! Freedom baby!!!.
As the day went on, I realized that I felt up to traveling. Since my brother-in-law was visiting from Mendocino, CA for only a week, we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Danville with Cooper's family. Cooper's parents were overjoyed, and so was Cooper.
By Wednesday, I started feeling a little more comfortable with feeling around on my new "foobs." During my self breast exam, I felt a small lump under my right breast, about where the under wire of a bra would be. I had Cooper take a look, and he predicted that it was the tissue expander unfolding. Since it didn't feel the same on the left side, I decided to give Dr. Noel a call. He assured me that everything was probably ok, but invited me to come by the office for him to check it out if I wanted. Of course I took him up on the offer. As it turns out, Cooper was right, and everything was ok.
Spending Thanksgiving with Cooper's family was great. At first, it was a little overwhelming being away from home for the first time and being around so many people. I am definitely a person that likes to host and entertain. Taking a break and laying down is the last thing I want to do during a celebration. By the end of the day I was exhausted and my chest felt tight from my last expansion. It was a reminder that I need to take breaks and my body is still in the healing phase.
Saturday was spent with family in Louisville. It was wonderful! I even enjoyed a Blue Moon...or two :) Sunday my parents and sisters came to visit. We went for a late lunch at Mussels and Burger Bar. It was fabulous! I highly recommend trying it. We returned home and my talented, hard working, and creative second mother, Michelle, decorated our door for Christmas. It is absolutely beautiful! My family also stocked the freezer with meals, brought my favorite dessert (strawberry pretzel salad), helped get our tree up, and delivered a sweet note from my brother, Adam. The night ended with ice cream from the Pie Kitchen and watching the mid season finale of the Walking Dead. I hate the Govenor! RIP Hershel!
Today, I saw Dr. Noel for my third expansion, post op. I am now at 350 cc's in each breast. I feel like I am making great progress. Dr. Noel told me that my incisions were healing nicely. My lifting restrictions were increased to a max of 10 lbs and I was given the "ok" to vacuum and do more with my arms. I left feeling very pleased with my progress so far.
Since the last post, I read the book, "Pretty Is What Changes, " by Jessica Queller. It is a story about a young woman diagnosed with the BRCA 1 mutation and the choices she made to define her destiny. It is a beautiful story and would be beneficial to all of those considering surgery, or for those who have had a prophylactic mastectomy. I would like to share one of my favorite lines from the book...
"We are living in an age in which scientific advances give us new opportunities to live. Seize them."
I am so thankful that I made the decision to have my surgery. There is a huge burden that has been lifted from my soul. I feel stronger and more beautiful than I did before, because I decided to take control of my destiny. Here are two more quotes for you that I found on Thanksgiving, that are so empowering to me...
"I love the person I've become, because I fought to become her."
-Kaci Diane
"Because, it's not always about the fight to become better/healthier, it's about the fight that changes who you are on the inside. It's about the journey that allows you to blossom into a person that you never knew you were strong enough to be."
-Written by another fellow previvor, Katie
Cheers everyone!
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